Football Gear: Helmets, Pads, Mouthguards, Cleats and More

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Equipment day is its own ritual: a line outside the equipment room, a coach with a measuring tape, a freshman trying on his first helmet and asking if it’s supposed to feel this tight (it is, mostly). Football has more gear than almost any sport, and most of it is there for safety, so fit matters as much as the brand. This guide covers the football gear every player needs: the helmet and how NOCSAE certification and fitting work, shoulder pads, the mouthguard rules, cleats, gloves, flag football gear, and the recovery kit for after. Think of it as your football equipment list with the reasons behind each item.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

The checklist: what the rules require

The 2026 NCAA football rules list nine pieces of mandatory equipment: helmet, hip pads (with a tailbone protector), jersey, knee pads (covered by the pants), mouthpiece, pants, shoulder pads, socks and thigh guards. High school (NFHS) rules require the same basic protection. Youth programs often lend helmets and shoulder pads, so ask before you buy. Most families end up buying the personal items: mouthguard, cleats, gloves, a practice ball and the recovery gear below.

Our top picks

Helmets: NOCSAE certification

NOCSAE (the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment) writes the performance standards football helmets are tested to. Every state association playing under NFHS rules, and the NCAA, has adopted NOCSAE standards for football helmets. NCAA rules require each helmet to carry a warning label and a manufacturer’s or reconditioner’s certification that it meets the NOCSAE standard, plus a facemask and a four- or six-point chin strap fastened whenever the ball is in play. What that means for you:

• Look for the NOCSAE label inside or on the back of the shell, and buy new helmets from a reputable dealer.
• Recertification keeps it legal. Under NOCSAE’s rules, certification lasts only for the recertification interval the maker sets, and the national reconditioners’ association (NAERA) says every football helmet maker currently requires recertification at least every other year. NAERA recommends reconditioning and recertifying every year, and only NOCSAE-licensed companies can do it. A used helmet with an expired certification isn’t certified.
• Don’t modify it. Aftermarket pads, shells or other add-ons can affect certification. NCAA rules allow helmet attachments that enhance safety only if they satisfy the NOCSAE testing standard. Check with the helmet maker and your league first.
• Youth helmets are changing. NOCSAE has a youth football helmet standard (ND006) for players below high school, built around how younger players get hit. NOCSAE set its effective date for September 1, 2027.
• Compare models. Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab rates varsity and youth football helmets from one to five stars using lab impacts based on real on-field data, and updated its ratings in 2025. It’s free and worth a look before you buy.

In the NFL, soft padded covers called Guardian Caps are required for many position groups in preseason and contact practices, and players may now choose to wear them in games. For high school and youth players, any cover goes back to the add-on rule above, so ask your coach, league and helmet maker.

How a football helmet should fit

A certified helmet only works if it fits. Riddell’s fitting guides give a simple routine most equipment managers follow:

• Measure: a cloth tape around the head about 1 inch above the eyebrows, then use the maker’s size chart. Between sizes, Riddell says start with the smaller one.
• Height: the front of the helmet sits about 1 inch above the eyebrows, never too high or too low.
• Snug, not loose: interlock your hands on top and press down; you should feel pressure on the crown of the head, not the brow. When you turn the helmet side to side, the skin of the forehead should move with the front pad.
• Chin strap: chin cup centered and snug, with the slack taken out of every strap.
• Recheck: after a haircut, and during the season as pads compress.

One honest warning, in the helmet maker’s own words: contact in football can cause concussion, “which no helmet can prevent.” If a player has symptoms such as headache, dizziness, confusion or memory trouble after a hit, take them out of play and keep them out until a health care professional clears them. That’s the CDC’s HEADS UP rule. Our football injuries guide covers concussion in detail.

Shoulder pads

There’s no NOCSAE-style certification for shoulder pads (the NCAA rules simply say there are no specifications), so fit is everything. Sizes go by chest measurement, shoulder width (tip to tip across the back) and, for youth, weight. A well-fitted pad covers the breastbone and upper shoulders, the shoulder caps sit centered over the shoulder joint, the neck opening doesn’t pinch or gap, and you can raise your arms without the pads sliding. Linemen usually prefer more coverage; skill players lighter, lower-profile pads. Rib pads and back plates must be fully covered by the jersey.

Mouthguards: the rules changed

A mouthguard is required in high school and college football. NCAA rules call for an intra-oral mouthpiece that covers all the upper teeth and is a readily visible color, not white or clear. NFHS rules require a guard with biting-surface (occlusal) and front (labial) parts that covers the back teeth, and clear or white guards have been allowed in high school since 2016. New in 2026, NFHS bans attachments that don’t help protect the teeth or mouth and anything that’s a health risk to the wearer or other players, so skip the novelty add-ons.

The Shock Doctor Gel Max is a boil-and-bite guard with a gel liner and a rubber frame, in Youth (10 and under) and Adult (11+) sizes, with a removable helmet strap. Shock Doctor lists it at $15.99 and backs it with a limited dental warranty. It isn’t made for braces; players with braces need a braces-specific guard or one from their dentist. Pick a bright color for college play.

Check the Shock Doctor Gel Max price on Amazon

Cleats and gloves

• Cleats: molded cleats work on most grass and turf; detachable cleats let you go longer on soft, wet grass. NCAA rules ban cleats that stick out more than ½ inch from the base of the shoe. Many linemen like a mid or high cut for ankle support, skill players a low cut. Check fit every season; fit matters more than the model.
• Gloves: in both NFHS and NCAA football, gloves (other than plain cloth ones worn for warmth) must carry a seal showing they meet the NOCSAE standard or the SFIA specification. Receiver gloves are thin and sticky; lineman gloves add padding. The Cutters Game Day Receiver is a durable, entry-level sticky glove that Cutters says meets the SFIA spec for NFHS/NCAA play, at about $25, and it’s machine washable.
• Arm sleeves (coming in 2027): from the 2027 season, NFHS will require grip-enhancing arm sleeves to carry the SFIA seal, like gloves do now.

Check the Cutters Game Day Receiver Gloves price on Amazon

A ball for the backyard: the Wilson GST Composite comes in official (14+, approved for NFHS and NCAA play), youth (ages 12–14), junior and pee wee sizes, with Wilson’s pebbled ACL laces for grip. It sells for about $47 at Wilson dealers. For speed and footwork work at home, see our best speed training equipment guide.

Check the Wilson GST Composite Football price on Amazon

Flag football gear

Flag football is a big way into the sport, from NFL FLAG leagues for ages 4 to 17 to girls’ high school teams (nearly 43,000 girls played in the latest NFHS participation count), and it will be an Olympic sport at the LA28 Games in 2028. The gear list is short. NFL FLAG gives every player a belt with flags and a jersey; a mouthguard is optional and the only protective gear players wear; football cleats are optional, and metal cleats aren’t allowed. Wear shorts without pockets so your flags stay visible. For practices, PE classes or the backyard, the Champion Sports Flag Football Set has 12 adjustable 60-inch belts with two hook-and-loop flags each (Champion lists it under $40 a dozen).

Check the Champion Sports Flag Football Set price on Amazon

Recovery gear for the bag

After a game in pads, the cleats come off and comfort takes over. Recovery slides like the OOFOS OOahh (about $60, washable, with the APMA Seal of Acceptance) are a locker-room favorite. Many players also carry a small massage gun such as the Hypervolt Go 3 (about $149, 1.6 lb, up to 4 hours of battery) for tight calves and hips. These are comfort tools, not treatment. If something hurts for more than a few days, see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer. Our best recovery shoes and best massage guns guides compare more options, and the football recovery page covers the routine.

Check the OOFOS OOahh Slide price on Amazon

Check the Hypervolt Go 3 price on Amazon

Back to the football hub, or see football rules, youth football, football injuries and the best football wearables. Playing two sports? Our soccer gear guide covers the other bag.

Football gear questions

What does NOCSAE certified mean on a football helmet?

It means the maker (or a licensed reconditioner) certifies the helmet meets NOCSAE’s performance standard. High school and college rules require it, and the certification only lasts for the recertification interval the maker sets, currently at least every other year for football helmets.

How often should a football helmet be reconditioned?

NAERA recommends reconditioning and recertifying every year, unless the maker says otherwise, and football helmet makers currently require it at least every other year. Only NOCSAE-licensed reconditioners can recertify a helmet.

Can you wear a clear mouthguard in football?

In high school, yes: NFHS has allowed clear and white mouthguards since 2016. In college, no: NCAA rules require a readily visible color that isn’t white or clear. Flag leagues set their own rules.

Do football gloves need to be certified?

For high school and college games, yes. Gloves need a seal showing they meet the NOCSAE standard or the SFIA specification, unless they’re plain cloth gloves worn only for warmth.

What gear do you need for flag football?

A flag belt, a jersey (NFL FLAG provides both), shorts without pockets and, if you like, a mouthguard and molded cleats. Metal cleats aren’t allowed in NFL FLAG.